Uganda - Wildlife
Mountain Gorillas are the rarest of the three subspecies of gorillas. Uganda gorilla tracking tours and safaris to track some of the 700 remaining mountain gorillas through the forested slopes of Africa in Bwindi, Mgahinga or Nkuringo is without doubt one of the absolute highlights of African travel if not global travel. Coming face to face with these amiable primates is both awe inspiring and scary. Accompanied by local guides, you will not be able to help yourself but from respecting these magnificent creatures. Fearsome in appearance yet remarkably peaceable creatures almost everybody that visits the gorillas experiences the most spine-tingling wildlife experience possible. Looking into the soft brown eyes of these gentle giants is a life changing experience. In order to conserve the natural habitat and environment of gorillas, visitors are closely monitored and only a limited number of permits are available; in order to avoid disappointment it is advisable to book early.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest offers the chance to track one of three families from Buhoma in the north of Bwindi, and has a total of 24 permits available daily. Gorilla tracking is more challenging than in Rwanda as hillsides are steeper and can take 3-10 hours.
Mgahinga in southern Uganda is a breathtaking location, tracking in the shadow of the awesome Virunga volcanoes. Mgahinga has one habituated gorilla family, with 6 permits available, which is about 2-5 hours walk.
Nkuringo in southern Bwindi with one gorilla family and 8 permits, is one of the most difficult areas to track in and is about a 2 hour drive away from Mt Gahinga Lodge.
Chimpanzees - Some of mankind's closest relatives the chimpanzee offers a completely different experience to that of tracking the mountain gorilla. Kibale Forest one of the principal primate forests of Uganda, has thirteen species of primate including the chimpanzee, red colobus and vervet monkey. Tracking the fast moving and elusive chimpanzees through the lush forest is a thrilling experience. Following them through the forest as they converge on a newly fruiting tree, or listening to them, as they drum on tree buttresses to call in their family or friends or let out their head turning pant hoots is a "back to nature" experience. Kyambura Gorge in combination with the savannah park of Queen Elizabeth National Park offers another opportunity to track the chimps, this time along a narrow gorge known for its use as an access route for elephants and as a watering hole for some lazy hippos. If this is not enough then Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctuary provides an opportunity to see the chimps in slightly less strenuous circumstances. 40 chimpanzees rescued from poachers populate this island on Lake Victoria accessed via Entebbe. Travellers have the opportunity to study these primates from the viewing platform at feeding time or alternatively go on one of the half day forest walks with these mischievous creatures, a once in a lifetime chance to interact with them in their semi-wild environment (the forest walk does require travellers to have a wide range of vaccinations. Please contact us for further details.
Savannah Game - Past history sadly dramatically affected the savannah game of Uganda as poaching became rife and numbers of game dwindled. The present day however portrays a much brighter future as numbers are rapidly increasing and Queen Elizabeth National Park now offers some of the best game viewing in the country. QE gives one the opportunity to combine some of the best primate viewing available with the game drives that you would experience in Kenya and Tanzania. Admittedly volume of game cannot be compared to the Serengeti or Masai Mara however with the backdrop of the magnificent Rwenzori mountains one can see lion, leopard, elephant, hippo, and experience the Kazinga Channel, one of the best river safaris in East Africa.
